Sunday, November 30, 2008

Turkey Weekend

Sunday, November 30

Adam: This week, we begin with thanksgiving. On Wednesday afternoon, Valerie and I made our annual trek down to Olney, Maryland to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

First, a side note about zipcar. We have been using zipcar for transportation for almost a year now. It has been a very mixed experience, and this weekend illustrates why. Despite the fact that we paid $99 per day (plus tax) for a car, this car could not be described as in "working condition." The defroster barely worked, the oil hadn't been changed in over 20,000 miles, and at times, it sounded as if the car wouldn't ever start again. At least the car had a valid registration and up-to-date plates -- unlike the previous cars we rented. The truth is that zipcar isn't all bad -- they're much more convenient than rental cars, and the fact that they all have EZPass is nice. But at this point, zipcar -- billed frequently as the solution to increasing traffic -- has convinced us that purchasing a car would be a better idea.

Valerie: We spent Thanksgiving day playing Wii (golf and baseball) and eating.

Valerie: After the boys finished their game of baseball, I joined them in golf and beat them all. Best round of golf I've ever played!

Adam: Who knew? Valerie has many mysterious talents. After playing virtual sports, Valerie and I took a drive around various neighborhoods in D.C., just to explore the city a bit more. Valerie hasn't spent much time in D.C. proper, and she really took a shine to Dupont Circle.

Valerie: After our drive, we had a fabulous meal -- turkey and all the trimmings.

Our Butterball turkey (very yummy)

Adam: Black Friday -- for those of you who are unaware, a morning of unbridled capitalism with a 4:00 am wake up call -- led to mixed results for us. We snagged a 19" TV -- but online. We then tried to wake up to go to the sales anyways, but "missed the alarm" several times. Nevertheless, we made it out to circuit city, staples and target, and scored a number of dvds and an office chair. Cool!

Valerie: After shopping we headed to Adam's dad's house in western Maryland. We made it out to Washington Monument State Park on Saturday. Apparently, there are two Washington Monuments: one in DC and one in Boonsboro, Maryland. The one in Boonsboro is the original Washington Monument, built in 1827 by the citizens of Boonsboro. The monument sits smack in the middle of the Appalachian trial.

Adam in front of the "looks-like-a-beehive" monument

[Us at the base of the monument]

Adam: Apart from obscure monuments, the Boonsboro-Keedysville metropolitan area is also a center for Mennonites, the Pennsylvania religious sect that my father's family traces its heritage back to. They are also bakers of some excellent, excellent donuts!

[the box of donuts after breakfast]

Adam: On Saturday night, I went to my 10th-year high school reunion. It was a bit bizarre -- I saw a lot of people who I haven't seen since graduation day. But everyone was basically still the same -- most people still had hair, nobody became obscenely large. Valerie pointed out that I went to one of the nerdiest high schools around (true). She also pointed out the obscene number of my friends who are doing MD-PhDs (also true). Makes us feel like underachievers!

Valerie: We woke up at 4am on Sunday to drive back to New York. After beating the rain and traffic, we arrived in Brooklyn and went out in search of a Christmas tree. We found one on Court street.

[Decorating our tree]

[The finished tree. ]

Adam: I admit it -- I consented to the channukah bush / christmas tree. I have to admit -- decorating it was fun.